LA artist, filmmaker, and “architectural interventionist” Doug Aitken’s works are numerous, award winning, and frequent fodder for big cultural conversations. See: 2007’s Sleepwalkers, in which Aitken transformed an entire block of Manhattan as he covered the exterior walls of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) with projections. Or 2017’s Mirage, a site-specific sculpture that takes the form of a home completely covered in mirrors. The latter originated in 2017, in the heart of the Californian desert. It’s no wonder that when members of KCRW’s Art Department found out he was coming in for a Guest DJ set, we were greeted with at least one reply of: “He’s the reason that I went to college.”

Aitken is also (no surprise here) a major music obsessive with impeccable taste so ahead of relaunching his ambitious multimedia piece Lightscape — a work made in collaboration with Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Marciano Art Foundation — he’s here to share more about the project, an original song from Lightscape, and some additional favorite tunes he’s amassed over the years. Scroll on to peep his selects direct, and click that player button on the page to hear all of the backstory.

Lightscape will be showcased as a large-scale immersive installation at the Marciano Art Foundation from Dec. 17, 2024 through Mar. 15, 2025. During this exhibition run, Lightscape will host weekly activations of live programming and curation, including live pop-concerts by the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Los Angeles Philharmonic. Find more info here.

Amanaz – “Sunday Morning”

u-Ziq – “Goodbye, Goodbye”

Severed Heads – “Petrol”